Under former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward rarely swapped sides of the field to shadow an opponent’s No. 1 wide receiver. Ward’s job was typically to take away the left side of the field, and he did it at his usual Pro-Bowl level.
First-year Browns DC Mike Rutenberg is giving Ward more freedom early in the 2026 season. On Sunday, that was bad news for the NFL’s reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Ward didn’t follow Tetairoa McMillan from start to finish in Sunday’s home opener, but he did draw McMillan on 25 coverage matchups, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, the fourth-most of any game in his career.
Ward played the role of shutdown corner in the Browns’ 21-18 win, limiting McMillan to one reception for 12 yards. McMillan entered the game with 10 receptions for 176 yards through Carolina’s first two games.
“Our defense played their ass off,” said head coach Todd Monken, who hilariously wore his cap backwards during his postgame presser as an ode to Rutenberg. “Really did.”
The Browns’ best player was at the forefront of that dominant defensive performance, one that felt like old times.
Denzel Ward reminded the NFL what happens when the Browns let him erase a No. 1 receiver
Prior to the start of the season on Sept. 1, ESPN’s panel of experts released its prediction for the top 100 players for the 2026 season. Ward didn’t make their cut.
That’s obviously an egregious omission, but it goes to show what the advanced stats often miss with Ward. As one NFL personnel evaluator told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler this offseason, playing for so many losing teams with Cleveland over the years has made him criminally underrated as a player.
"If Ward played in Kansas City or New England, he'd be the talk of the NFL," the exec said. “He doesn't get the credit he should. Twitch or closing speed, there's no one better. He closes faster than anyone I've ever seen. In coverage, that is a special trait."
Ward’s 74 pass breakups from 2018 through 2025 were the second-most of any defender in the NFL over that eight-year span. He also has 18 career interceptions. Playing predominantly on the left side in recent seasons under Schwartz, opposing quarterbacks tended to look elsewhere for their preferred matchups.
Cleveland’s defense has found its footing after getting run out of the building by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. Per the analytics site SumerSports, the Browns pressured Panthers quarterback Bryce Young on 30 of his 47 dropbacks on Sunday.
Facing that amount of pressure with your favorite target blanketed in coverage makes for a long afternoon.
The Browns have always had the ability to use Ward as an eraser. That Rutenberg is already playing that card speaks volumes for a group that should only continue to get better.
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